Master My Garden Podcast

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast John looks at what to sow in the September vegetable garden.  We still hopefully have lots of great harvests coming from our vegetable gardens crops like onions, potatoes, garlic , cabbage, cauliflower coming out or do to be harvested soon. It is important to get these bare spaces filled back in with new crops for the Autumn and beyond.  September...

In this weeks episode John answers a listeners question. How to create a wildflower meadow / patch from scratch? We look at the distinctions between native Irish wildflowers and cultivated flowers used in floral meadows.  Listen to us as we map the path to your dream meadow. We tap into the wisdom of Sandra Cofola Irish Wildflower expert, sharing valuable insights from previous episodes, and discu...

What if you could transform your garden into a stunning display of color and fragrance, simply by sowing your own seeds? Join me as I revisit the perennials I sowed last autumn, revealing the secrets to their success and the benefits of creating your own perennial border from seed. From the importance of aeration when autumn sowing to the correct sowing techniques, we'll delve into the practi...

In this weeks episode a listener asks a question about how to safely save rainwater for use in her Potager garden. John Looks at all the pros and cons of harvesting rainwater and gives the tips to ensure you are are saving water safely.  Ever considered the benefits of rainwater for your garden? Prepare to discover how this natural resource can be a sustainable and effective alternative to mains w...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast John looks at what to sow in the August vegetable garden. August is generally is a month great harvests in our vegetable gardens. Great harvest means bare space when crops like onions, potatoes, garlic , cabbage, cauliflower etc come out. It is important to get these bare spaces filled back in with new crops for the Autumn and beyond. When it comes...

In this weeks episode John chats with Julie Anne Kelly The Soulful Gardener who has a fantastic garden in Ballinakill Co Laois which was featured on Irelands Garden Heros. John & Julie Anne, chat about wildflowers meadows, cut flowers gardens, drying flowers, therapeutic horticulture, sustainability, up-cycling and much more. Julie is opening her garden on Sunday 30th July with all money raise...

Is it too late to take softwood cuttings? That was a listener query from last week.   Technically mid-July is a little late if you follow textbook rules, however, I have always found that they will root perfect at this stage of the year.   What will I need to take softwood cuttings?   An airy growing media you can mix perlite through to add air to the rootzone.   A plastic zip lock bag to put cutt...

In this weeks episode John is joined by Harry from Kilkenny Architectural salvage to chat about all the treasures they have for gardeners. There are some great topics covered including how we should reuse more and not be so quick to send our "stuff" to landfill after it is no longer useful to us. We also chat about the many treats Kilkenny Architectural salvage have for gardeners. The be...

In this weeks episode of Master My Garden podcast John looks at what to sow in July and other gardening jobs. July is a month when all our vegetable beds are heaving with produce and space for new crops can be at a premium. It is important to keep sowing so you will have plants to go in after you harvest your onions, potatoes and other crops. This will ensure you have supply right through to the a...

Do you consider the environment when you buy garden equipment?   Having visited a garden trade show this week John chats about garden equipment, and how some equipment which we might perceive as environmentally friendly because, for example, the name says 100% recycled may not be environmentally friendly.   At the show John came across many companies talking about and highlighting products made fr...

In this week's episode John chats with Gareth Austin.     Gareth is based in Donegal and is a superb gardener with many strings to his bow which we talk about. We centre the episode on growing food which Gareth does on a larger scale to feed family and friends all year round.    He also provides garden commentary with BBC Northern Ireland, is a Horticulture Instructor with Donegal ETB and has...

John is joined by Diarmuid Gavin show ambassador for Garden Show Ireland to chat about the show and the recently completed Coronation Garden Diarmuid completed.  Garden Show Ireland returns to Antrim Castle Gardens The three-day gardening extravaganza takes place from 16-18 June 2023 Now in its 19th year, the show runs from Friday 16 – Sunday 18 June and is expected to attract some 30,000 visitors...

In this week's episode John answers, a listener's question which comes from Imelda Morice. The question is as follows.     Imelda here from France, we spoke several months ago at the time of your 100th podcast!   We own a house and garden in Ireland, in Mayo on the coast, and we need to change the fence around the garden. I have never done this before and I am anxious to avoid mistakes t...

What seeds can I sow in June? That is the topic of this week's episode and John looks at what seeds you can sow in your vegetable garden in the month of June.   When we start the year the number of different seeds, we can sow increases month by month right up to May being the month where we can sow most seeds. When we get into June, however, our list starts to get smaller again. So, what can...

Many gardeners are experiencing pest & disease problems at the moment so in this weeks episode John looks at the various pests and diseases and what we can do to ensure they don't become too big of an issue. My mantra is as always a healthy plant is less susceptible to pests and diseases so that's where we start. The way to having healthy plants is to have healthy soil and that is th...

In this weeks episode John chats with Paul Brady Clondeglass garden. Clondeglass is close to Mountrath in Co. laois. The garden was developed and made famous by  horticultural legend the late Dermot O Neill. Dermot in conjunction with RTE created the TV series Dermot's secret garden. Paul chats about the garden its history and his plans for the garden for the coming years.  https://www.facebo...

It is May and "No Mow May" is all the talk in the media and online. In this weeks episode John looks at the concepts of "No Mow May"  and "No Mow Let It Grow" and how they may apply and most importantly how they may impact pollinators in your garden. John also discussed, how to grow a wildflower meadow? What wildflower meadows add to your garden. We also look at the d...

What to sow in May?   May is a busy month for sowing in the garden and while for the last few months we have been doing all our sowing inside in module trays or pots now we can start direct sowing into the ground.   So, what seeds can you sow in May?  In the ground directly sow beetroot, carrots, turnip, parsnip, swede, lettuce, spinach, spring onions, radish, chard and more. Some of these I will...

After such a poor spring weather wise many lawns are far from looking their best. The prolonged wet and cold spring has left many lawns looked tired, full of moss and weeds. In this episode John gives tips to get your lawns back in shape and looking great this spring.   Have a look at a previous in-depth blog post and podcast I have done on lawns here.  https://mastermygarden.com/how-to-have-the-p...

In this weeks episode of John chats with Carmen Cronin show director of Clare Garden Festival which is on Sunday 30th of April. Featuring expert speakers , plants nurseries, practical workshops and much more it is an event not to be missed. To find out more visit the website below or look for Clare garden festival on Facebook and Instagram. http://claregardenfestival.com There will be a blog post...

How to look after young plants in spring is the topic on this week's episode of Master My Garden podcast.   Yet again up to the 14th of April 2022 we have had a horrible start to the month weather wise with wind, lots of rain, chilly days, and night frosts these are far from ideal conditions for the seedlings we have sowed and minded for the last few weeks.  If you want to check out the weath...

What vegetables to sow in April? That's what we are talking about in this weeks episode.  The list of seeds we can sow in April in the veg garden is long but it does vary from year to year. For example we have had here in Ireland one of the wettest March's on record with rain almost every day. This has meant that the ground is very wet and because of that very cold. In other years we cou...

In this weeks episode John answers a listeners question. Christine has picked up two old water tanks and water to incorporate them into her urban garden. Christine is open to trying flowers and veg.  So what would you recommend well John covers this in detail giving ideas for have beauty and food from these water tanks otherwise destined for the skip. There will be a blog post on this episode very...

What plants grow in shaded areas? That is a question that listeners ask all the time.     So, for this week's episode of the podcast John chats with Mike Keep from Shady Plants. Mike company specializes in plants for shaded areas and as we find out in the episode there are many types of shaded areas such as wet shade, shaded areas in housing estate which get almost no sun and the most difficu...

Soil health is the cornerstone of successful gardening and particularly growing your own food. This is something I am sure on, if below the surface is healthy then above the surface (what you grow) will be excellent. I wasn't always aware of this and when I studied horticulture it wasn't something that was of high importance. But through observation initially I came to realise that it is...